pooch news

DeGeneres Loses Dog

HANCOCK PARK—A pet agency has refused to return a dog that was adopted by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, but then given to the family of her hairdresser.
DeGeneres, along with partner Portia De Rossi, adopted a terrier mix puppy named Iggy on September 20. Degeneres spent thousands of dollars getting Iggy neutered, trained, and situated.

However, after the dog was trained and neutered it didn’t get along with DeGeneres’s two cats and was given to her hairdresser.
Marina Baktis, the owner of Mutts and Moms, a Pasadena based agency where she adopted the dog, contacted Degeneres for a followup on how Iggy was adjusting. Degeneres recounted, “I was honest, and told her the dog wasnt getting along with the cats and Iggy has a great home with my hairstylist.” Baktis explained the policy that the new house must fill out an application online. Degeneres had her hairstylist fill out the online form right away.
However, the information, such as the new home’s address was not used to approve the home but it was to send authorities to recover Iggy. Immediately Mutts and Mom’s owner sent out a representative to take the dog away from its new home.
On October 15, DeGeneres during the taping of her talk show broke down in tears pleading for the return of the dog. The show was aired the following day.
"(The new family) said, 'We love Iggy. Can we have Iggy?'" DeGeneres said. "Well, I guess I signed a piece of paper that says if I can't keep Iggy it goes back to the rescue organization."
She stated that it was her fault, not the family’s fault. When she had signed the papers, she didn't notice that it said if the dog was not wanted that it should be returned. “Just please give the dog back to those little girls,” she said before breaking down on the air.
Mutts and Moms announced that Iggy has been placed with yet a new family. Baktis claims she has unfairly become the villain in this doggy drama, and she stands by her decision to take away the dog.
Baktis also said that after the dog was removed, the agency received numerous letters and e-mails from people who expressed outrage over the removal of the dog. Baktis claims there have also been death threats.
During an interview with Access Hollywood, Baktis explained that she “has been doing this for years”. Her agency “goes into shelters, take these dogs, and find them homes. The idea is to appropriately match the homes with the dogs”.
A spokesperson for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says that the agency acted ruthlessly: “At a time when so many people in Hollywood, like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, are making impetuous 'pet' purchases, PETA commends Ellen for adopting a homeless animal from a shelter rather than buying a dog. Every animal purchased from a pet store is a virtual death sentence for an animal desperately waiting in a shelter for a home."
PETA stated, “We know that Ellen was trying to do the right thing in finding the dog a new home. She just missed a step in neglecting to contact the agency first. We hope that if the new home she arranged turns out to be as good as she thought, the agency will allow the family to take the dog back.”